


Chronica Majora

by Fuerst_von_Argot



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Blood Magic, Dark Magic, Demonic Possession, Gen, Happy Mask Salesman PoV, Hyrulean Civil War, Kingdom of Hyrule, Magical Artifacts, Majora's Mask, Not Canon Compliant, Sheikah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25797508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuerst_von_Argot/pseuds/Fuerst_von_Argot
Summary: "This magic and its followers were banished by the goddesses themselves. It is impossible that they could have returned to Hyrule."Impa folded her arms in defense against his insolence to question the divine almightiness."But I am here too, aren't I? And by the way, long enough to know how you hunted down all those you thought were surviving enemies after the war. You don't have to tell me what you use to reassure your subordinates.""But the border should be... safe," she replied angrily, as if he of all people was responsible that it was no longer. In another tinge of disapproval, she took the mask that lay scattered on the table with his other belongings and tapped the wood a few times."What happened there? How did you get the mask back? And why," she examined the mask in her hand from all sides, "why is there almost nothing left of the magic that was supposed to be there?""It is a long story, and obviously the reason I am here...The long, far too complicated story of a mask, a salesman and his attempt to reconcile the present with the past after the war.The first few chapters take place between OoT and MM, the rest after or before them.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The original is german and this one is only translated automatically, I tried to edit it afterwards, but my english is not the best, so if it is very incomprehensible, I'm sorry. :( It's probably bad enough in german. :D

"Are you interested in one of my masks, young friend?"

He put on his best smile, skillfully overplaying his suspicion and at the same time tried to get to the bottom of his uneasy feeling. Something was wrong with this stranger.  
"Indeed." Finally the visitor turned away from the masks and gave the suspicious merchant a look that really worried him. Blood-red eyes watched him, revealing the other's origin. "But I fear... this particular mask is missing from your collection." He interrupted himself with an expressive smile before continuing seriously. "It's a pity, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Slowly but surely the salesman lost his fake kindness, which gave way to the certainty that the stranger would get him into trouble. A speciality of these people.  
"You can save your acting for others. You know what I'm talking about, at least this part of the past you will remember."

"No," the salesman replied unforgivingly, not willing to talk about any past and certainly not about this mask. All he was interested in was the fact that his counterpart obviously knew more than was good for him.  
"Fine. You're really not very talkative, are you? It's a shame, really, we'd certainly have a lot to talk about. ” 

With this statement and his persistently smug expression on his face, he held out a letter to him, obviously satisfied with the indignation of the other, and pointed to the envelope.  
"If that is your name, this is for you."

Growling, the merchant stood up and grasped the letter roughly. It was his name on the envelope. But the delicate handwriting of a skilled scribe reminded him of no one at first glance.  
"Who are you?"

"Just a simple soldier from our people. Sent to ask for your help. After all, we share one enemy, do we not?"

The elder Shiekah nervously ran his fingers through the scarlet hair before opening the ominous letter and hurriedly skimming the lines. He remained silent as the consequences of the letter slowly but surely became clear to him and scowled at his visitor.  
"Don't forget the thing about happiness," laughed the messenger and inspected one of the masks extensively. "I thought you were looking for your mask anyway."  
"And I thought our people made it their business to protect the royal family. Does the king know you're visiting?"

The tone of his voice was as unforgiving and hostile as the look he gave the other Shiekah, but that one remained as calm as before. 

"Does the King know about you? You are not the only one who prefers to keep his heritage secret. And I'm sure we both know the incalculable advantages of that approach. We could be of great value to one another, believe me."  
"Do not overestimate yourself. There is a good reason why your kind are considered extinct here," growled the Mask Merchant, who had fervently hoped to escape his own people. What kind of a king was that who didn't even have his own bodyguards under control? 

"And we will pretend that you are a blameless, venerable Hylian if you show a little good will."

"Goodwill? I should stay away from your kind.”

"Our kind. And there are many things you should have done, or not done. Be glad I came to you without killing you on sight."

"Brave enough to threaten me?" smiled the merchant before his gaze turned dark again and he bowed forward to his guest. "This arrogance has cost our people their heads once before."

"It's not so bad while we still have you, is it?"

"Who knows how much longer."

"You'll be safe. You were smart enough to hide here. A good choice. We don't want to endanger you or ourselves."

"Of course not," muttered red-haired Shiekah softly.  
Did he have a choice? These were not the times to make new enemies of your own free will. Or to refuse a gesture of goodwill to old foes. No matter how much or little truth there may be in it. Sighing, he took a pen and the back of the letter, quickly scribbled a few halfway readable lines and reproachfully held the document out to his visitor.

"There you have your good will. I shall meet your all knowing employer."  
The other accepted the document complacently, examined it briefly and bowed deeply. "We are honoured."

"Not as much as I am," snorted the merchant contemptuously. "Thank the gods you found me." The gods were after him, he was convinced of it. 

"We could not be more grateful." The visitor remained with his arrogant smile as he continued in the language of their people, "may the Gods continue to watch over you."  
It had been a long time since he had heard that language, at least from the mouth of another Shiekah. Fortunately. But he feared that sooner or later, the spirits of the past, however uninvited and presumptuous, would catch up with everyone.  
"Leave now. You have what you want."

The other Shiekah nodded and finally turned to face the door.  
"We will meet again soon anyway. We and some other old acquaintances. You will enjoy it."

"I'm sure of it. I can hardly wait."

One last amused look and a slight bow in his direction, then the uninvited visitor left. At last. As soon as the red-haired Shiekah was alone he locked the door behind his visitor and listened motionlessly for a moment to the storm that howled menacingly like a wild animal outside, urging everyone to stay away from it. With an unhappy growl he turned around and stared back into the many pairs of eyes of the exhibited masks. Not the only ones who had been watching him recently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey begins! But old forces are already at work and it won't be long before old enemies turn into new ones. A good time to revisit old allies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The translation is still mainly automatic, I tried to rework it, but I'm still sorry if it is sometimes hard to read.  
> Random Happy Mask Salesman headcanon, him and Majora being a mess but trying to appear competent, their backstory will follow later.

He usually appreciated these journeys and although the capital city brought an interesting mixture of members of the most diverse peoples and estates right to his doorstep, enough to keep him busy for a while and distract him from the shortcomings of everyday life, he would never refrain from paying a personal visit to these people. He had only recently given up his existence as a wandering merchant who did not linger too long in the same place. Or had to give it up. And he didn’t have to wait long for the consequences. It wasn't as if he didn't know about the advantages of living right at the feet of the royal family, but on some days he felt as vulnerable as a caged animal. The invitation, which he now more or less was compelled to accept, did not make things any better. He definitely preferred the safety of the city, which seemed to be protected by the gods themselves, to a meeting with the remains of people most Hylians thought extinct. And that not without reason. Here the Shiekah were little more than a phantom and without this one Shiekah at the court of the king himself, whom everyone in this city and perhaps all of Hyrule knew, most would probably deny their existence. 

And this one Shiekah near him was more than enough for him.

Sighing, he let his gaze wander over the marketplace; though it was still early and the sun was just beginning to indicate the dawn, the people of the city were already on their feet. Merchants hawking their wares, loudly outbidding each other and the usual crowd gathering around the goods on offer, discussing noblemen or skilful beggars waiting for the right moment to get what they asked for for free. Many of them were by now reasonably well known to him. If he spent his life in this city, he had at least tried to keep track of most of what was happening in and especially outside the city. What had been reported to him recently was, at least for someone like him, somewhat worrying. It was news from the desert and from the people living there, from strange activities on the western border. It made him immediately prick up his ears. Since the Great War it had become quiet around this border, few people ventured near it, let alone to the other side and the Gerudo were not a people who would have shown any concern or any sign of weakness without very good reason. So he feared that the rumors must be something more serious. And if he had hoped to simply ignore the whole story, the strange Shiekah had reminded him by now that the security he had been weighing himself in was deceptive.

While he was thinking about whether he was about to make a big mistake or whether he had any choice at all, a stocky, taller figure built up in front of him, towering over the lanky Shiekah.  
"Going on a journey?" 

The blacksmith laughed rumulously and pointed to the well-filled backpack of the merchant. Unimpressed by the size of his counterpart, he lifted his head and smiled back. Once again he was glad to have been in good terms with most of the residents, traders or beggars. So he knew how to act around most of them to attract as little attention as possible. Including the less sociable ones.  
"Oh, of course! Always looking for new masks, happiness for everyone..." He giggled to himself and pointed in the direction of the city gate. "But you always have to be on the lookout for that. No matter where you go. The good things are often best hidden, don't you agree?"

"For you, perhaps. The city is enough for me," the bigger man replied with another dark laugh and shook his head. "But you can't stay in one place for long, can you?"

"Oh, not with all the masks still to be found."  
A quick snort and the pejorative look of the other made his opinion of this kind of merchandise quite clear. Not that the mask salesman held it against him, most here would prefer a sharp blade to whatever an oddish trader of masks promised. Most of the people here also did not understand what he was really willing to give to them. They lacked the fine sense for any kind and manifestation of magic. A sad picture for the heirs of a deity, but probably he should just be grateful for this ignorance.

And as for the sad picture, this city itself did not disappoint him. While he was still facing his taller friend, the clatter of hooves from the direction of the castle interrupted his thoughts. Curiously he lifted his head as the blacksmith also turned away from him and faced the sudden noise. A group of young soldiers on horses rode across the marketplace, obviously on their way to leave the city.  
"Where do you think they're going?"

The mask salesman had a bad premonition. Owing to his rather uncomfortable visitor, he suspected the worst... if the king himself had sent troops to the border, his chances of remaining undetected were even worse. And his plan, in his humble opinion, was reckless enough without them.

"Who knows," he finally replied reluctantly, before adding more mockingly than intended, "Protecting the fatherland, I suppose."  
Not really convinced, the blacksmith grumbled something incomprehensible while the other merchant bowed in a quick movement.  
"Excuse me, but I fear it is time to follow our brave men. What kind of salesman would I be if I wasted my time dawdling."

"Sure, sure. And good luck... with your masks."

He thanked him with another little bow, and left in the same direction the soldiers had ridden before. Their appearance hadn't left a very big impression, everything went on as usual, everyone here seemed to be busy, getting ready for the day and not wanting to waste a thought on anything else. The soldiers were omnipresent in this city and although he appreciated their protection, they were perpetual observers, carrying anyone who was unwanted out of the city, into the dungeon or to the gallows faster than time remained to escape their clutches unnoticed. The city gate was also extraordinarily well guarded; every time he ventured near it, he returned the attentive looks of the soldiers suspiciously and expected to be attacked without reason at any moment. Far from likely, but the uneasy feeling at the sight of the royal servants remained with him, like the fear of the dark, nothing he could explain, not much more than some kind of instinct. Just as he was about to convince himself that he had nothing to fear here, something pounced on him out of nowhere and dragged him into the nearest alley. Before he even could react, and the other one should be extremely grateful for that, he made himself known with a gurgling laugh. 

"Hey, boss!"

The young full-time thief and beggar, wrapped in rags and his features barely visible under a thick layer of dirt, was one of his oldest acquaintances here, and that was the only reason he refrained from snapping his neck on the spot. When the first shock had left him, he looked around suspiciously, but the two men were alone and hidden in a small alley out of sight of guards or other curious observers. He waited for a moment without averting his gaze from the main street, but apparently no one followed them.  
"I'm sure you have a very good reason for attacking an innocent salesman in the open street," he finally replied reproachfully, just not equipped with the necessary patience for his young friend's recklessness.

"Oh, come on! If you're just going to leave me here like a street dog. I thought we were pals! Besides," he looked triumphantly at the trader, "I bet you don't know who's been hanging around here lately. If you didn't have me!"

With raised eyebrows and a not very convinced expression on his face, the mask merchant waited wordlessly for the big unveiling. Exactly this kind of information was the reason why he had never regretted the contact with the young prowler, even if he had got him into trouble more than once. But since the extraordinary visitors to this city had recently decided to pay him a visit directly, he doubted that he could still be surprised. At the moment he had much bigger problems than anything the other person could present to him.

"Well, you were really friendlier before, I thought this was some kind of business model now, don't you have some rupees for me?"  
The other one's disgruntled look was enough to give the thief an answer and he hurried on. "Well, if you're interested, the Gerudo seem to have something to discuss with the king himself, anyway, even their boss was here, you know, the big redheaded woman..." 

"Nabooru," the salesman muttered impatiently and his friend nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, right! So she was visiting our noble pompousness herself. Who knows what they have to talk about! Anyway, there are quite a few of these ladies in town," he laughed softly and smiled at his friend, "you think I got a chance with them? I mean, you could be a Gerudo, a little pale, maybe, but... "

"Anyone else? Do you know why they're here?" 

"Not that I know of. Not a clue, boss. Sorry. But it’s still worth a few rupees, don't you think? Where are you going all of a sudden anyway?"

"None of your business." He looked around one more time, then he rummaged impatiently in his pockets until he found a few rupees, which he threw to the beggar without much ado. Excited, he inspected his booty and put it away hastily.

"I only worry about you! As a friend, you know. I mean, something’s going on, isn't it? And you really attract trouble... or chase it. Along with all your rupees..." He laughed briefly and followed the salesman as he turned away with a shake of his head and strolled back towards the main road. "Hey, come on. So you know what's going on there? Are you really one of them?" Another laugh. "I don't know if this town can do without your cheerfulness! So you’re going to the desert? I mean, who's gonna watch over your store and me?"

Not really willing to continue this discussion or be seen with the beggar, the salesman turned back to the dark alley.  
"I'm pretty sure there's few people who know these streets as well as you do. And perhaps you should continue to limit your knowledge to this area. I'd appreciate it."

For a few seconds they looked at each other in silence and the salesman almost feared that his acquaintance had actually decided to get to the bottom of it, then he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine. But take care of yourself. I mean, if you really want to wander through a desert or the gods know where like some disoriented explorer when there's plenty of rupees to be made here..."

"Security and financial advice from an incompetent thief, right? Nothing can happen to me now."

"Incompetent thief? I'm a political activist, you expert! Fair distribution of goods and all that stuff... I fight for justice, underground. Unlike you, I'm practically in the resistance, not like the whole royalist mishpocha here..."

"Of course, forgive me." His friend's indignation amused the merchant, while reminding him why their paths had crossed in the first place. "And believe me, I'm not one of them."

As if this had only made him more suspicious, the tramp frowned and looked at him as judgmental as a judge in rags could possibly look. Since the salesman did not let himself be disturbed and reacted with a tired smile, he finally continued impatiently. "No, they don't just run away from here. Could have thought you were dead or something."

"Of course. If you're so concerned about my welfare, just keep doing what I asked you to do."

"Oh, of course, your wish is my command, my honored baron von Masquerade." He bowed theatrically, putting as much drama into his reproachful tone as possible. "You can chase a dog like me around and then just run away. And whistle once when you need me again."

"It would really spare my nerves if that were the case." 

Like a defiant child, the beggar crossed his arms and stared at him sullenly as if he had been seriously insulted. His curiosity, which otherwise made the young beggar an excellent observer and scout, was now slowly but surely robbing his employer of the last bit of patience.

"You have your rupees. And there won't be any more until I get back."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it! I hope you at least have success with whatever, seems to be incredibly urgent," his curious friend replied, still impudent and finally turned away from him. He almost thought he was really going to be left alone when the beggar turned around once more. 

"I'm leaving, don't look like that! I just wanted to make sure... you remember what I told you? I mean, it's obviously not safe where you're going. And you're not exactly the least subtle."

"I can take care of myself, don't worry."

Not quite convinced, the younger one persisted in his reproachful attitude and stared at him critically. "And sell some masks at the same time, huh?"

"Of course. Happiness for our dear desert dwellers too," the mask salesman grinned and his friend too, despite his demonstratively bad mood, condescended to smile.

"All right. Then take good care of yourself and your masks. There are regions with more sociable inhabitants.”

With this statement and a short point in his own direction he fortunately left it and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared like a rat in the maze of dark alleys. The merchant looked doubtfully after his friend, into the corners of the city that were well known to him and that promised seductive secrecy, inviting him to stay under the protection of the walls of the royal city. A deceptive, but all the more tempting offer, since he had always taken the apparently easiest way to avoid possible problems. To part with this usual and up to now rather successful procedure did cost him quite an effort. And with his luck sooner or later his life. 

So he sneaked back to the main street as inconspicuous as possible and looked around suspiciously. But the city didn't seem to have noticed him in its bustle, everything here went on like clockwork and if you didn't disturb it, the chances were good to remain undiscovered. A really not negligible characteristic of the city and usually it was easy for him to adapt to this rhythm or at least not to hinder it. But since one night his clock was running differently than the weeks and months before and so the normality of the city suddenly felt strange. Maybe he was in good hands, outside the city walls.

Without having really convinced himself of this thought he slowly strolled towards the city gate, as if he was just waiting to be stopped again to change his mind this time. The guards there naturally focused their attention on potential visitors to the city, not on those who wanted to leave it. Those who looked as if they would bring more trouble than rupees into the city were turned away without much speech, while traveling merchants showed their papers and others loudly expressed their displeasure with the soldiers' decision. Some people were under general suspicion at this gate, especially the women of whom his friend had already told him about. If they had not been invited here from the highest authority possible, the soldiers loyal to the king saw at best thieves in them and in view of recent events they got off relatively well with this accusation. He didn't even remotely share this opinion, but after all he had heard or experienced on the street so far, this way of dealing with strangers did not surprise him. The everyday occurrence of attacks on anyone who was a stranger in the eyes of any authority or who did not conform to the norms of this society - his begging friend had probably tested all the limits in this area - left him indifferent. He was not trying to become a victim of this reality himself, that was all. The easiest way to achieve this was to stay away from such trouble.

Not everyone seemed to share this attitude. While he kept a safe distance from the guards, who were about to expel a young Gerudo brusquely from the city, another representative of her people stormed towards the guards from the crowd that was about to leave the city.

"Oh, look, you even have company for your way back to the desert." The two soldiers grinned condescendingly, obviously more amused about the resistance than being upset about it. 

"Is this how allies are treated here?" yelled Gerudo at a volume that didn't require him to pay much attention in order to follow the small argument. In any case, the young woman did not lack enthusiasm. Or hostility towards the executive authorities of the kingdom. 

"Allies? You are murderers and thieves, nothing more. You'll be lucky if I let scum like you go at all, you could all be hanged for all I care..." 

In an exemplary display of a true gerudo warrior's temperament, the woman pulled out a dagger and rushed so quickly towards the unprepared soldier that he barely managed to dodge the blow before he went down with her. She insulted him just as passionately in her language that the merchant only understood half of it, although he was, in his humble opinion, reasonably proficient in it. Though his comrade rushed to help the soldier, who was overpowered at short notice, the Gerudo again reacted quickly enough to escape the less skilled attempts of the two to stop her. As soon as she had jumped up, the two Gerudo disappeared together again in the crowd on their way through the city gate, too quick for the soldiers, who were rather clumsy in their pursuit. As if it was part of the usual happenings in this city, most people didn't even seem to take notice of it, let alone have the motivation to help one of the two parties.

Grinning, the salesman looked after the women. 

In front of them lay the plain, the vast expanse of which not only deterred the two soldiers, but also immediately won over the trader, who was by now used to the narrow streets. With all its advantages and even if the city had kept its promises, nothing was as tempting as the promise of freedom. Especially after all the time he had spent in a society that loved control and discipline so much. He even forgot all his reservations for the moment and followed the two women on their way to the desert before they disappeared from his sight. They most likely had the same goal, so why not find it together? However, the ladies did not make it easy for him, despite his sudden hurry to leave the soldiers, the city, its inhabitants and visitors behind as far as possible, he was neither as skilled nor as good on foot as his friends from the desert. 

He had hardly left the crowd at the city gate when they were already so far away from him that he did not necessarily feel the desire to chase them across the steppe like a watchdog in front of everyone. He glanced briefly in the direction of the soldiers, who were just about to catch their breath again while they were panting and shouting curses at Gerudo, then he turned back to them and whispered a few words accompanied by a small hand movement in their direction.

These things were easier when you were closer to your goal, but thanks to the not very varied landscape, he could see them for miles with the naked eye, which was more than enough for his purposes. Before nightfall none of them would reach the desert and with a little luck he would catch up with them in time. More than sufficient, he decided, always better than to end up like the two exhausted city guards.

Confidently, but no longer in too much of a hurry, he followed their path, and as the towers of the castle behind him slowly diminished, he began to become more and more comfortable with his little journey. What awaited him at its end was most likely not very pleasant, but why shouldn't he enjoy the journey until then? 

For the moment at least he was free from the written and unwritten laws of the king and his people, and above all, free from the curious looks and questions he could hardly escape in the city. Quite a number of people distrusted the newcomer, who had come from nowhere and seemed to have no home. 

" _Quite right. Travelling salesmen should never be trusted, a devious race._ "  


There were just some things you couldn't get away from.  
  
"Quiet," he snorted softly, not that it was necessary or helpful at all.

" _Don't be so rude, now is certainly not the time for your sensitivities._ "

Until now, he had stared stubbornly forward, and when he finally glanced away, a much younger and much better-dressed version of himself grinned at him.

" _Not that I complain about turning my back on this horrible city, but..._ " 

"But what?"

He looked at himself a little reproachfully as if the answer was obvious.

" _But it's quite an adventurous decision. One usually avoids one's enemies, no?_ "

"They have the mask."

" _So they say._ "

"Why would they lie? To them, I am the same as they are to me right now. The lesser of two evils."

" _Oh, please, you offend me. Lesser of two evils? A little more than that, at least enough to wish us dead. I'm sure they do. I'd be disappointed if they don't._ "

"I don't care what they wish for. If that's what they're up to, they'll regret it, not me."

" _That's the spirit,_ " his old self giggled and then nodded thoughtfully. " _If it's any consolation, I also think we have no choice. But it's still dangerous. And I wouldn't want anything to happen to you._ " He smiled, which was not a really reassuring sight.

"Of course not. And that's why I'm going to talk to Gerudo first. I'm sure they know more."

" _Oh, yes, probably. Though I wouldn't get my hopes up too high as far as your two ladies are concerned. They don't seem to think much of Hylians... nor of a Shiekah for sure. But then again, who needs them, right? I'm sure Naboru will be happy to see you again._ "

"I doubt it."

Once again, his old self seemed to be enjoying himself. While they shared their enemies, mutual allies were a thing of the past, Naboru was perhaps the only exception and one of the reasons why he had such a high opinion of the Gerudo. 

Bored, his shadow commented on his every thought on their way from now on, as if the city had kept him from annoying him with permanent speeches until now. Whatever the reason for this talkativeness, he didn't go into it further, probably most of it was due to the same concern that tormented himself. 

" _And you really think these two are gonna help us?_ "

While the sun had already moved low to the horizon, casting the Shiekah's shadow far back, he sensed the presence of a familiar magic, at first only faintly, like a light breeze that gave him a pleasant tingling sensation and then tore at his senses more emphatically with each step until it had grown into a full-blown storm that he could not possibly ignore. He stopped and concentrated on its origin. The Gerudo at least had to be near him.

"We hadn't been in the desert for half an eternity. I would be happy to have some companions… and they probably know more about what goes on there."

" _I'm sure they'll be very happy to play our guide._ "

"I will convince them of that."

His shadow looked at him as if he had suggested torturing the women before he nodded with a grin. " _Sure._ "

He sighed. If he hadn't managed to win over one or two strangers so far, he would probably be dead by now. In his situation a certain manipulative skill was indispensable and that not only in order to earn a few rubies. As for the Gerudo, perhaps it was because of his origins, his lack of tolerance for the complacency of his own people and the Hylians, but he usually got along well with most of them. Why should this time be any different?

Once he had a rough idea of where his magic was going to take him, he continued on his way. It was still dawning and he preferred to find the two women before nightfall, little interested in sneaking up on two Gerudo in the dark.

" _Do you feel that?_ "

He interrupted his search for the right path and looked around. For a moment he was tempted to shut his companion's mouth, then he also noticed what the shadow was trying to draw his attention to.

"What is this?"

If the other one hadn't mentioned it, he'd have thought he was simply getting paranoid after his long time behind the city walls. It wasn't much more than the vague feeling of being watched. But when he searched for some kind of magic, as he had done with the Gerudo before, for some clue that confirmed his feeling, he seemed to reach only into nothingness.

" _Something to remind you to be on your guard,_ " his shadow snorted visibly irritated. He knew as little about what was going on as the irritated salesman and coped with any kind of uncertainty much worse. They would both get used to it. He still trusted his senses enough to be able to estimate when he was in serious danger and at the moment he was not afraid enough to seriously consider turning back.

"I can handle myself."

His shadow gave a brief, feigned laugh and shook his head.  
" _At least you haven't lost your sense of humor._ "

Thank the gods he left it at that. Night fell slowly across the steppe and the merchant took one last shot to fulfill his plan for today. Since even his alter ego felt stalked, he would be thankful not to have to spend the night all alone, even if he still had some persuading to do.


End file.
